This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/8164573.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Iceland submits EU membership bid Iceland submits EU membership bid
(10 minutes later)
Iceland has formally applied to join the European Union, the Swedish government has announced. Iceland has formally applied to join the European Union, a week after the parliament in Reykjavik voted in favour of accession to the 27-nation bloc.
Iceland's Foreign Minister, Ossur Skarphedinsson, handed over the request to his Swedish counterpart, Carl Bildt, during a ceremony in Stockholm. The Icelandic Foreign Minister, Ossur Skarphedinsson, submitted the request to his Swedish counterpart, Carl Bildt, during a ceremony in Stockholm.
Sweden currently holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency.Sweden currently holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency.
Last week, Iceland's parliament voted to join the 27-state bloc. The bid must now be approved by the EU, after which Icelanders vote on it in a referendum. The bid must now be approved by the EU, after which Iceland's people will be asked to vote on it in a referendum.
"This is the day when I have the historic duty to hand in formally the Icelandic application to the European Union," Mr Skarphedinsson said at the ceremony in the Swedish foreign ministry on Thursday."This is the day when I have the historic duty to hand in formally the Icelandic application to the European Union," Mr Skarphedinsson said at the ceremony in the Swedish foreign ministry on Thursday.
ICELAND'S EU BID 16 July: Parliament backs bid by slim majority23 July: Bid submitted to Swedish EU PresidencyFebruary 2010: Entry talks may beginLate 2011/early 2012: Bid goes to popular referendum2013: Earliest date Iceland can realistically join Source: Arni Thor Sigurdsson, chairman of Icelandic parliamentary committee on EU
Mr Bildt said that having Iceland within the EU would enhance its "Nordic dimension".Mr Bildt said that having Iceland within the EU would enhance its "Nordic dimension".
Correspondents say Iceland, with a population of just 320,000, has traditionally been sceptical about joining the EU. Some fear EU quotas could hurt Iceland's fishing industry.
But many people there have warmed to the idea of membership following the devastating economic meltdown, which saw the top Icelandic banks collapse in a matter of days last year.
Iceland already has close ties with Europe, being part of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Schengen Area.
Arni Thor Sigurdsson, the chairman of the parliamentary committee handling EU issues, told the Reuters news agency last week he believed Iceland would not be ready to join any earlier than 2013, with a referendum due in late 2011 or early 2012.